Hey Now
by unanymousdeen
Summary: She was always shy when it came to public displays of affection. And she really hated that he loved to embarrass her.


Shepard peeked around the engine room to make sure his upcoming antics wouldn't be seen. His partner's attention had not swayed from her comm. screen and he presumed that she figured her crew mates had returned. Good. He could go about his plans.

The commander grasped one of the pipes attached from the ground to the ceiling and swung himself around it, assuming a suggestive super model's stance that was sure to catch his girlfriend's attention.

"Hey, Tali." He grinned devilishly, raising his chin the slightest.

The quarian whipped around and, even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was blushing madly. "W-what are you doing?"

"Oh…" he turned away, glancing at her over his shoulder, "nothing."

Tali felt another blush creep up her neck and she turned away. Her cheeks were burning hotter than a hearth in the middle of winter. She hated that he could be so unbearably alluring and the woman very much considered asking him to leave. If anyone walked in right now—

Tali felt his strong, muscular arms wrap around her waist. Her blush rose, yet she relaxed upon his touch. Shepard nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck, reaching for her hands and holding them in his.

"You've worked long enough. Take a break." His voice was so smooth and calm. And his small chuckle was like sweet music to her ears.

"I can't." Tali rested her head on his. "I need to make sure the engine runs soundly."

At this, the commander smirked and let go of the woman's hands, trailing his down over her inner thighs. "Well, _my engine_ isn't working and I need you to help me run some diagnostics."

Tali's eyes widened and she squirmed. _Did he just…?_ The blush was creeping back up along her neck, burning with three times more intensity than before.

Shepard chuckled again, drawing his hands a little higher.

"Here? _Now_?" She asked incredulously, trying her best to hide that she was secretly enjoying everything her partner was doing to her. Tali wasn't one for any public displays of affection. A compliment or inside joke every now and then didn't hurt. She did, after all, pull a sly remark right in front of a quarian general who had anything less than a clue of what he heard.

"That eager?"

Tali whipped around to slap the commander on his upper arm, causing him to laugh as she pushed him away.

"You're an idiot. Go away." The quarian pursed her lips and faced her comm. screen once more, illuminating the data screen above its dashboard. "I have work to do, unlike you."

Shepard leaned against the side of her computer, reaching for the woman's hand. "We have some unfinished business to take care of from yesterday."

"Because we were rudely interrupted by EDI, who kindly declared that our presence was required at the deck." She pulled her hand away roughly and turned to him. "Any more statements you wish to inquire?"

Shepard raised his eyebrows. "No…?"

"Good." Tali returned her attention to the light panel and began typing away once more. "Now stop being a distraction."

The last thing she expected was being turned over against her will. The commander had her pinned with his arm, and this time there was no escape. Before Tali could even word a response, the man above her swiftly removed her mask and crushed his lips on hers. This was dangerous, and he knew better, yet he was quick enough to remove himself and replace the barrier that separated their faces back in its place. Tali was left stunned and lost for air. Their kiss had been too short for her taste, yet Shepard had left her breathless in the moment. She swallowed nervously before uttering "if I get sick it's all your fault. And then we definitely won't be able to forgive last night's discourteous interruption."

The commander held her hand for a moment, gracing the top of her palm with his thumb. "I'll be waiting for you."

As he reached for the back of her neck, feeling each strand of black hair behind the shawl bend to his fingers, Tali smiled warmly. He knew she was grinning under the mask. She couldn't hide her emotions from the man she loved the most.

And when he pulled her into a heartfelt embrace, she wrapped her arms around Shepard's torso, holding onto him like she would never let go.


End file.
